Immortal Beloved

April 18, 2026
Numerica Performing Arts Center

*Season tickets & student discounts available

2027 marks 200 years since Beethoven’s death. To this day, no one knows for sure the name of Beethoven’s love, the recipient of his famous “Immortal Beloved” letter. He carried the secret of his eternal muse to the grave...Three phenomenal women surface as possibilities and this new, multi-movement concerto offers a portrait of each through gorgeous music.

Nik’s Notes

I am looking forward to performing two pieces for the first time. Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 is one that I have studied intensely, but have never performed it. And, I am honored to bring to life Immortal Beloved with Nancy Ives and Denise Dillenbeck.

Program

Nancy Ives • Immortal Beloved, world premiere (Denise Dillenbeck, violin) 

Ludwig van Beethoven • Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92

Nancy Ives and Denise Dillenbeck in Conversation with Denver Philharmonic Orchestra

Andrés Orozco-Estrada conducts Beethoven Symphony No. 7

More about the Program

Grounded in deep musicological research and illuminated by a contemporary feminist lens, the piece not only explores the personal and political obstacles these women faced, including limited autonomy, forced marriages, and child loss, but also frames their stories in a narrative of resilience and artistic legacy. Quotes, adaptations, and motifs drawn from music connected to them, mostly by Beethoven, and excerpts from the famous letter are transformed through 21st-century techniques, offering a powerful syncretic dialogue across time.

This is not just a tribute; it’s an egalitarian tool. Immortal Beloved ensures these women are no longer footnotes to a man’s genius, but central figures with their own voices, carried into the present with timeless relevance. In honoring their lives and struggles, this concerto becomes a vehicle for equity, remembrance, and artistic justice.

The program also includes Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7.

Guest Artists